From the Guidelines
To determine if there is a mineral deficiency in your body, a personalized assessment is necessary to identify vitamin and nutrient deficiencies based on individual requirements and risks. This is because individual needs and circumstances can vary greatly, making it difficult to provide strong recommendations without a thorough assessment 1.
Key Considerations
- A daily multivitamin supplementation may be recommended for individuals who consume less than 1500 kcal per day, as they often have difficulty meeting their micronutrient needs through regular food intake alone 1.
- Certain supplements, such as vitamin D, B12, and folate, may warrant consideration, particularly for individuals with deficiencies 1.
Assessment and Management
A personalized assessment should be conducted to identify potential mineral deficiencies, taking into account the individual's dietary habits, lifestyle, and overall health 1. This assessment can help determine if supplementation is necessary to address any deficiencies and improve overall health and quality of life.
Prioritizing Health Outcomes
When it comes to mineral deficiencies, prioritizing morbidity, mortality, and quality of life is crucial 1. A personalized approach to assessment and management can help ensure that individual needs are met, and potential health risks are mitigated.
From the FDA Drug Label
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY Vitamin B12 is essential to growth, cell reproduction, hematopoiesis, and nucleoprotein and myelin synthesis. In people with normal absorption, deficiencies have been reported only in strict vegetarians who consume no products of animal origin (including no milk products or eggs).
The FDA drug label does not answer the question about a mineral deficiency in your body, as it discusses Vitamin B12 deficiency, which is related to a vitamin, not a mineral. 2
From the Research
Mineral Deficiency
- The provided studies do not directly address mineral deficiency, but rather focus on vitamin B12 deficiency and its effects on the body 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
- Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause megaloblastic anemia, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and elevated serum homocysteine levels, especially in older persons 3, 4.
- Risk factors for vitamin B12 deficiency include prolonged use of metformin and proton pump inhibitors, malabsorptive disorders, and strict vegetarian or vegan diets 3, 4.
Diagnosis and Treatment
- The initial laboratory assessment of a patient with suspected vitamin B12 deficiency should include a complete blood count and a serum vitamin B12 level 3, 4.
- Measurement of serum methylmalonic acid can be used to confirm deficiency in asymptomatic high-risk patients with low-normal levels of vitamin B12 3, 4.
- Oral administration of high-dose vitamin B12 (1 to 2 mg daily) is as effective as intramuscular administration in correcting the deficiency, regardless of etiology 3, 4.
Related Conditions
- Iron deficiency is another common condition that can affect the production of red blood cells and cause anemia 5, 6.
- Deficiencies of iron and vitamin B12 can affect many systems in the body and have similar symptoms, such as weakness, lethargy, and shortness of breath 5, 6.
- A combined parameter of biochemical markers, including holo-transcobalamin, methylmalonic acid, and total homocysteine, can be used to diagnose vitamin B12 deficiency and assess its association with cognitive function and blood hemoglobin 7.